Natasha Madison

For the last couple of weeks I have been endeavoring to induce brain atrophy. I think it is the only way I will be able to survive in this brave new world. This book may have done the trick. It is legitimately terrible. Our hockey star (MMC Cooper) is a total ass at the beginning and instantaneously becomes a prince among men when his new trainer (FMC Parker) calls him on his crap. The FMC is a paragon of White upper-middle class motherhood. The kids I sort of liked, so no shade there. The show more main couple have SO MUCH sex. I think I chafed just from reading about it. And why do so many panties have to be ripped off in these books? It is easier to pull them down, and quality lingerie is expensive! I really hope our heroines are not hitting Agent Provocateur or the like. They will go broke. I have only read one other book by the author (this one was much better) and in my review of that one I complained about this. Is Madison unfamiliar with the refractory period? It is a medical fact. I promise her. This is not tantra, there is no withholding of ejaculation (though given the endless descriptions of the splendor of the MMCs abdominal muscles he would likely excel at tantra -- make a note for the next book Ms. Madision), this is instantaneous tumescence and ejaculation after ejaculation. That is not how the equipment is made.

In addition to this being trite and silly and the leads' endless sexcapades being potentially uncomfortable and verifiably anatomically impossible, the book also suffers in the writing department. I am not sure Madison speaks English as a primary language. There is a ton of word and phrase misuse. (Ms Madison, "refrain" and "restrain" mean different things. One cannot "refrain themselves." Look it up.) My favorite malaprop was Parker's statement that her leather pants fit her not like a glove, not like a second skin, but "like a second glove." Other readers of my vintage will have a hard time not thinking about OJ pulling on the leather glove over the latex one."If the glove don't fit you must acquit" indeed.

So this was terrible, and I still listened to the whole thing and was amused a good deal of the time, sometimes because of rather than in spite of the abysmal writing. This deserves a 2-star but I am going with a 3-star because sometimes ingesting junk is good. Literary Cheetos for the win. show less

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I have been eagerly awaiting Manning’s story ever since his introduction in the first book of the Only One series. I expected his story to be emotional with a side of drama, and Madison did not disappoint. She delivered all I expected and more.

If you found yourself trapped in a loveless marriage with a spouse from hell, who has no intention of letting you show more go because of the perks associated with being married to you, and who would use your child as a pawn to ensure you stay in line what would be your course of action? This was the case with the main character, Manning, captain of the Dallas Oilers hockey team. His wife, Murielle, refuses to give him a divorce, despite her many affairs, and holds the threat of taking their son away over his head. She enjoyed the perks of being a captain’s wife and had no intention of giving it up. Manning resigned himself to his fate for the sake of his son, a situation which left him miserable and unsociable. Then he met Evelyn and what should have been one night of passion, became much more. Evelyn made him recognise he deserved happiness and needed to take the steps to achieve same.

Ah! Manning was so swoon worthy. I admired the way he is always there for his son, Jaxon. His son’s needs took priority and the fact he willingly sacrificed his happiness for him showed he was a great father. However, what I admired most about him was the fact he never once disrespected his wife in front of their son, which I knew took a lot of restraint and patience. His willingness to admit when he was wrong was another trait which I admired about him. He was by no means perfect. He made mistakes, but he owned up to them.

Evelyn was a sweetheart. She oozed confidence and strength. I loved her selflessness, which revealed itself in the way put Jaxon’s needs (Manning’s son) above her happiness. She unwittingly found herself in a complicated situation, and I loved how she handled it all.

Be prepared to have your emotions tied up if you decide to read this book. I experienced a variety of emotions. Anger, laughter, teary-eyed moments, indifference, you name it; I felt it. This story had enough heat to set my kindle on fire. The chemistry between Evelyn and Manning topped the sexual chemistry charts. Be prepared for some hot and passionate scenes. The genuineness of their feelings for each other radiated through the pages, and it had me rallying for their happiness. Madison’s talent in maintaining a balance of sexy and heartfelt emotion came to light in this installment.

I had fun catching up with the characters from the previous books, and as always Miller had me in stitches.

I am not on board with cheating, but Manning’s situation fell in a grey area. I understood the dilemma he faced and in this situation I would not pass judgement. Bearing in mind his marriage was on paper only and there was no emotional attachment to his shrew of a wife.

I thoroughly enjoyed Only One Night, with its swoon worthy and passionate romance. I can’t wait to get my hands on Nico and Becca’s story, which promises to be an equally exciting read.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading show less

I will not sugarcoat this, as by now based on the synopsis you will figure out that this story will gut you. If you have been following the series from the beginning, you will understand my reasons for saying this. After the last installment, I was waiting for the ball to drop and drop it did, and the outcome was devastating. The story was bittersweet, and it was one heck of an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Southern Sunrise demonstrated how secrets can destroy the best of relationships. The show more hero, Ethan, was living his best life. Plans to marry his childhood sweetheart and graduating from college were on the top of his list. However, the revelation of a devastating secret would rock his world and derail those plans. The pain and the anger stemming from the revelation led to him walking away from all he held dear. Five years later he returned home to face the devastation his actions caused and to win back the heart of the only woman he ever loved. Along the way, he would learn the true meaning of sacrifices.

Throughout most of the story, I straddled the fence as it relates to Ethan’s actions. I understood how he must have felt, discovering the secret his family kept from him for years, but I did not agree with the way he handled the situation. The shock and perceived betrayal led to him abandoning his loved ones for five years. At the time I found his actions selfish, but I figured it had a lot to do with his level of maturity.

I felt for the persons affected by Ethan’s decision, but the person my heart broke most for was Emily. Despite being engaged to another man, her heart belonged to Ethan. A fact which would reveal itself on Ethan’s return. To say their reunion was bittersweet would be an understatement. It was gut wrenching and heart-breaking. Ethan knew he had a lot to make up for and it would prove harder than the tragedies he faced in the past five years.

I admired the growth Ethan showed. He recognized the pain his actions caused and tried to make amends. ‘It takes a real man to realize his mistake, but an even better one to make things right’.

Southern Sunrise by Natasha Madison showed the importance of family, friendship, forgiveness, healing and second chances. It revealed that amidst pain and loss, hope shines like a beacon.

Conclusion/Recommendation
Overall, I found this to be a wonderful addition to the series and would recommend it without reservation. A note of caution in the series needs to be read in order.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading show less

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Mine to Love by Natasha Madison is the fourth book in the Southern Wedding series. This installment takes a different turn from the previous books in the series. This time around, instead of a wedding coming to an abrupt halt, the heroine has no desire to marry, and it’s up to the hero to convince her otherwise. Mine to Love delivered a funny and heartfelt show more friends to lovers romance with a surprise pregnancy thrown into the mix.

Presley and Bennett have been a part of each other’s lives growing up. Bennett is her brother’s best friend. At eighteen years old, Presley gave Bennett her virginity. Since then have been seeing each other on and off for the past twelve years. They are in love with each other, but they have yet to express their feelings to one another. Presley has no intention of getting married, something which she’s made Bennett aware of, so he willingly accepted what she offered. Now he’s returned home for good and they are seeing each other regularly, with no hope of Pressley changing her mind about their relationship moving beyond their frequent hook-up. However, an unexpected pregnancy will change the whole dynamics of their relationship. Will it bring them closer together or will tear them apart?

Mine to Love is a beautiful story, which depicted two of my favorite tropes, friends to lovers and brother’s best friend. The protagonists, Pressley and Bennett have history, which started from their childhood days. A history which became complicated when their relationship became physical. They fell in love with each other, but they have never truly expressed the way they felt about each other. Bennett wants more but fears if he pushes for more, Pressley would run in the opposite direction. While Pressley fears losing Bennett and the impending heartbreak to follow such a loss.

The chemistry between these two is off the charts, and their passion for each other is intense. Throughout the story, one could see these two love each other, but Pressley’s stubbornness and determination to do things on her own threatened the possibility of a happily ever after for these two. Their flirtatious and humorous banter which had me smiling throughout the story. Without a doubt, these two belonged together.

I loved how they quickly embraced the changes the pregnancy would bring after the initial shock wore off. Many readers will find Pressley relatable, Although, I must admit her behaviour throughout the story annoyed me. Her insistence on pushing Bennett based on what happened to her mother and her siblings rubbed me the wrong way. Frankly, her fears were unfounded. Also, I do believe readers will fall for Bennett. He treats Pressley with the utmost care and attention before and even more so during the pregnancy. Hence the reasons her actions annoyed me. She finally came to her senses, but the journey to that point came with heart wrenching moments. The outcome, however, will leave readers smiling.

Despite my frustration with the heroine, Mine to Love entertained me with its heartwarming and passionate romance. It delivered a combination of funny, frustrating and sad moments. Overall, a great read and one I would recommend to fans of contemporary romance.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading show less